1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical wireless apparatus to implement optical communication between a portable unit like, for example, a wireless barcode reader terminal and a fixed unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a wireless apparatus of the related art, a wireless system or wireless LAN (a) consisting of a handy terminal (portable unit) and a fixed unit is popular. Moreover, in the system utilizing optical communication line, a light transmitting and a light receiving means of the fixed unit are fixed at a ceiling or a wall and the fixed unit is connected with wire to a host computer. Moreover, the handy terminal as the portable unit is usually used near the fixed unit and it can be charged with a charger when it is not operated.
As a system of the related art, for example, a system to transmit the data read with a barcode reader to a fixed unit is described in the official gazettes of the Japanese Patents laid-open Nos. 143191/1987, 211476/1989 and (b) 213989/1990. Particularly, the related art (b) proposes a method for integrating the charger and the light transmitting and light receiving means of the fixed unit.
Here, the wireless apparatus of this type is accompanied by the following needs.
(1) The light transmitting/receiving means in the fixed unit side is required to be installed at the area assuring easier connection to a host computer. However, since it is necessary that there is no restriction on the area from making communication with a portable unit, it will be better that the installation area of the fixed unit can be changed freely depending on the installation conditions. PA0 (2) The charger should preferably be installed near the application field, namely, near a user because if a user can charge the charger within a short interval, the user can use the charger without paying attention to its continuous application time of the portable unit. PA0 (3) It is naturally required for the portable unit side to be able to confirm that the communication with the fixed unit is enabled, but it will be better to be able to make such confirmation from the charger side (assuring higher reliability).
However, in the related art (a), since the portable unit is used near the fixed unit and it is set to the charger for charging when it is not operated, the related art (a) satisfies the requirement (2) but the requirement (3) because the fixed unit cannot confirm the communication with the handy unit. Moreover, the light transmitting/receiving means of the fixed unit in the related art is fixed and naturally cannot satisfy the needs (1) and (3).
In the related art (b), moreover, since the charger and the light transmitting/receiving means of the fixed station are integrated, then charger/fixed unit provided near a user can satisfy the needs (2) and (3) but not the need (1).